Safari, (n) : An expedition to observe animals in their natural habitat. This site is a 'safari' of international news, development theory, and the natural world. Written by R. Turner Shaw.

The Newest (nonmember) State: Palestine

The United Nations just voted to make Palestine a ‘nonmember observer state’, marking, “a stinging defeat for Israel and the United State.” Hopes in the UN are that this recognition will lead to a two-state solution to the Gaza strip conflict that has reemerged in the past few weeks. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has claimed that this sort of solution is Palestine’s ultimate goal, and that this international vote is an important step towards such. The rhetoric in his UN address continued to highlight Israel as an aggressor, and suggest that the Palestinians are the victims of the situation.

What this may reveal to the United States is that the international community is not on board with much of the US agenda in the Middle East. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton was openly displeased with this decision, and is quoted saying that the UN resolution is, “unfortunate and counterproductive.” While the US remains loyal to the Israeli side in the conflict, voting states of the UN have proven through this resolution that they do not blindly follow the US opinions on world politics. In fact, many countries do indeed see Hamas as the victim, and may even support Palestinian sovereignty in Gaza over Israel. Perhaps the US will be forced to reevaluate its priorities in the region.